Chelsea got their Premier League campaign on track after lethal finishing coupled with a slice of good fortune gave them a 3-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday.
New signings Timo Werner and Kai Havertz made their debuts up front after the German internationals joined Frank Lampard's side from the Bundesliga during the close season as Chelsea prevailed thanks to goals from somewhat unlikely sources.
I will admit it — I tend to get so caught up in the Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna hype-train that I sometimes overlook the other talented members on the USMNT. Well, New Zealand-born American winger Tyler Boyd just gave me the antidote with a magnificent goal for Besiktas. I will be googling “Tyler Boyd goal vs Trabzonspor” for some time to come.
Sit back, relax and watch an American give one of Turkey’s biggest clubs something to cheer about in its season opener.
Brest defeated Dijon 2-0 in Ligue 1 action on Sunday after Romain Perraud opened the scoring in the 42nd minute before Irvin Cardona added the insurance goal in the fifth-minute of second half stoppage time.
“Insurance goal” is one way to frame it. Another is a gravity-defying piece of exceptionalism that only belongs in the Shaolin Soccer film.
In a matchup of the last two NWSL clubs to lift a trophy, the N.C. Courage once again showed they’re the best in the league. The 2019 NWSL champions rallied late to beat the Challenge Cup winners 4-3 in a match that actually upstaged the Liverpool-Leeds game as the most entertaining 90 minutes of action on Saturday.
Houston led 2-1 at halftime thanks to a pair of assists from Challenge Cup final MVP Shea Groom, but Debinha took over the second half with two incredible goals.
Raúl Ruidíaz and Joevin Jones each had two goals and two assists and the defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders scored four times in the opening 20 minutes en route to a 7-1 victory against the visiting San Jose Earthquakes on Thursday night.
Jordan Morris had a goal and three assists, and Kelvin Leerdam and João Paulo also scored for the Sounders (5-2-3, 18 points), who moved into first place in the Western Conference. Seattle extended its unbeaten streak against San Jose to 11 consecutive regular-season matches (6-0-5) dating to 2015.
Aided by fixture congestion, muscle injuries and domestic cup competitions turned into academy exercises, the 2020-21 season figures to be the year of the 15-year-old.
On the one hand you’ve got Borussia Dortmund phenom Youssoufa Moukoko — although he won’t be able to play in the Bundesliga until turning 16 on Nov. 20 — and on the other you’ve got Grimsby Town’s Louis Boyd.
After missing Portugal’s 4-1 victory over Croatia on Saturday due to a toe infection caused from a bee sting, Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the starting 11 on Tuesday against Sweden and showed off his newly acquired flying insect superpowers.
Sitting on 99 international goals, Ronaldo buzzed over a free kick in the 45th-minute before unleashing a venomous, right-footed stinger into the top corner.
Norway beat Northern Ireland 5-1 in their Nations League match on Monday with Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland leading the charge with two goals and an assist in Belfast.
Mohamed Elyounoussi gave Norway the lead in the second minute but, after Paddy McNair equalised, Haaland got the goal of the game with an emphatic half-volley from the edge of the box that had keeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell rooted to the spot.
Last Thursday, 17-year-old Barcelona phenom Ansu Fati was handed his first Spain appearance as a second-half substitute during a 1-1 draw with Germany. On Sunday, Fati was given his second cap and first-ever start as Spain welcomed Ukraine to the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium in Madrid.
If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, here’s the La Masia graduate’s opening 45 minutes.
Jordan Morris scored twice 61 seconds apart early in the second half as the host Seattle Sounders pulled away to defeat Los Angeles Football Club 3-1 Sunday night.
Raúl Ruidíaz scored at the 11-minute mark before being replaced because of a heel contusion at halftime for the defending MLS Cup champion Sounders (4-1-2, 14 points), who moved into second place in the Western Conference, two points behind Sporting Kansas City.